Eyewear with conductive temple joint

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses and systems for wearable devices such as eyewear are described. According to one embodiment, the wearable device includes a frame, a temple, onboard electronics components, and a coupling mechanism. The frame is configured to hold one or more optical elements. The temple is connected to the frame at an articulated joint such that the temple is disposable between a collapsed condition and a wearable condition in which the device is wearable by a user to hold the one or more optical elements within user view. The onboard electronics components comprise at least a pair of electronics components carried by the frame and the temple respectively. The coupling mechanism is incorporated in the articulated joint and that is configured to electrically connect the pair of electronics components across the articulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition and when the temple is in the collapsed condition.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/790,971, filed on Feb. 14, 2020,which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/949,852, filed on Apr. 10, 2018, which isa continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/642,878, filed on Jul. 6, 2017, which is acontinuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/869,149, filed on Sep. 29, 2015, each of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to eyewear, andmore specifically to electronics-enabled eyewear.

BACKGROUND

Eyewear, especially those carrying onboard electronics, can be bulky,making them difficult to wear and to transport when not being worn.These and other factors often cause electronically-enabled eyewear to beunwieldy and less than desirable to wear or transport.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a portion of eyewear including a temple and aframe mechanically coupled together by a hinge joint assembly with thetemple disposed in a wearable position relative to the frame accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a plan view of the eyewear including the temple and the framecoupled together by the hinge joint assembly with the temple disposed ina folded storage position according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of a top face of the temple of FIGS. 1A and 1Bshowing an electrically conductive coupling mechanism and electronicssuch as a battery in phantom according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of a side face of a portion of the temple of FIG.2A according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the frame of the eyewear ofFIGS. 1A and 1B showing a portion of the hinge joint assembly and aportion of the conductive coupling mechanism on the frame according toone embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the portion of the frame of the eyewearof FIG. 3 showing the temple positioned in the folded storage positionand showing a portion of the conductive coupling mechanism on the templeaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the portion of the frame of the eyewearof FIGS. 3 and 4 showing a portion of a charger mounted to the templeand electrically coupled to the conductive coupling mechanism on thetemple according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the charger of FIG. 5 according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a schematic view eyewear comprising smart glasses withelectronics carried by a temple and a frame, the temple positioned in awearable position relative to the frame according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 6B is a schematic view of the smart glasses of FIG. 6A with thetemple moved to a folded storage position relative to the frameaccording to an example embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show alternative embodiments of the smart glasses with asingle conductive coupling mechanism between the temple and the frame,with the single conductive coupling mechanism being part of a hingejoint assembly.

FIG. 8A is a front perspective view of a system including eyewear and acase according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8B is an enlargement of an interior portion of a case from FIG. 8illustrating a conductive coupling mechanism can be used within the casethat is adapted to mate with the conductive coupling mechanism of thetemple according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows smart glasses according to another example embodiment thatincludes a battery in each temple.

OVERVIEW

A brief overview of some aspects of the disclosure with reference toselected drawings follows, after which various features of the disclosedsubject matter will be described in greater detail.

One aspect of this disclosure is an eyewear article with onboardelectronics, the eyewear article includes a conductive couplingmechanism (e.g., an interface or port) that allows power from a batteryin the temple to be provided to the onboard electronics in the framewhen the temple is in a wearable configuration (e.g., FIG. 1A) and whenthe eyewear article is in a folded or collapsed configuration (e.g.,FIG. 1B). Such configuration allows the onboard electronics to besupplied with power in either the wearable configuration and foldedconfiguration. This allows the eyewear article to be operable even inthe folded configuration such as to run software and perform other tasksthat can improve efficient and performance thereby improving the userexperience.

According to further aspects the conductive coupling mechanism of thetemple can be configured to interface with and receive charge from anexternal power source (e.g., a case as shown in FIGS. 8 and 8A, apersonal computer, or an outlet via a charger as shown in FIG. 5) whenthe eyewear article is in the folded or collapsed configuration. Suchconductive coupling mechanism can be used for recharging of the batteryof the eyewear article, for example. In some embodiments, the conductivecoupling mechanism may include a data component for transmitting datasignals, enabling information upload and/or download between theexternal source (e.g., a personal computer) and the eyewear article orbetween components of the eyewear article (e.g., the temple and theframe).

For ease of description, the article of eyewear is further in thisoverview and description referred to as smart glasses. The electricallyconductive coupling mechanism may comprise any suitable connectorconfigured for contact and coupling with a complementary connector toestablish an electrical and/or electronic link, including for example aport, a link, a socket, a plug, a cord, a contact pin, a contact pad,micro-USB, or the like. Although referred to herein as an electricallyconductive coupling mechanism, in some cases the electrically conductivecoupling mechanism can facilitate the transfer of both data and charge.

The smart glasses may have a body comprising the lens-carrying frame anda pair of the temples hingedly mounted on opposite ends of the frame.The smart glasses are in such cases in the wearable configuration ormode when at least one of both temples are substantially fully unfoldedfor reception along a side of the user's head. In contrast, the smartglasses are in the folded condition when at least one of the temples ishingedly folded towards the frame sufficiently to create the conductivecoupling mechanism between a battery in the temple and onboardelectronics in the frame. The folded condition thus can include both afully folded condition in which one or both of the temples are hingedfully inwardly towards the frame (e.g., FIG. 1B), and a partially foldedcondition. However, in some cases the partially folded condition canbreak the conductive coupling mechanism between the battery (orbatteries) in the temple(s) and the onboard electronics in the framesuch as to power off or restart the electronics.

In some embodiments, the conductive coupling mechanism extends across(e.g., is located at) an articulated hinge joint where one of thetemples is hingedly connected to the frame. The conductive couplingmechanism may be located on several of the joint faces provided by theframe and the temple respectively, the joint faces being in face-to-faceabutment when in the wearable condition (see e.g., faces 24A and 24B inFIG. 1A), and being in face-to-face abutment when in the foldedcondition (see, e.g., faces 26A and 26B in FIG. 1B). In otherembodiments, dual conductive coupling mechanisms may be implemented oneon each temple, with the conductive coupling mechanism on each temple.To facilitate conductive coupling mechanism, the temple and the framemay carry cooperating features such as pins and pads configured forautomatic contact and coupling when the smart glasses are in either thewearing condition or the folded condition, to provide a conductivecoupling mechanism (and in some cases a data connection) betweenelectronics in the temple and electronics in the frame.

In some embodiments, electrical/electronic components may be carriedboth by the frame and at least one of the temples. In other embodiments,the battery will be carried by one or both of the temples whilesubstantially all other electrical/electronic components (see, e.g.,computer, sensors, camera, microphone, wireless module, and the like, ofFIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7) are carried only by the frame. This allows for aslimmer frame that can be more desirable for the user to wear and easierfor the user to transport.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes apparatuses, systems andtechniques that embody illustrative examples of the disclosure. In thefollowing description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious embodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventivesubject matter maybe practiced without these specific details. Ingeneral, well-known structures and techniques are not necessarily shownin detail.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example embodiment of eyewear 10 comprisingsmart glasses from a position above the eyewear 10. As shown in theFIGS. 1A and 1B, the eyewear 10 includes a frame 12, a temple 14, ahinge joint assembly 16 and a conductive coupling mechanism 18. Theconductive coupling mechanism 18 allows power from a battery (e.g.,battery 24 in FIGS. 2A and 2B) in the temple 14 to be provided to theonboard electronics in the frame 12 when the temple is in the wearableconfiguration (e.g., FIG. 1A) and when the eyewear 10 is in a folded orcollapsed configuration (e.g., FIG. 1B). It should be recognized thatsuch arrangement can be reversed in some embodiments such that thebattery can be carried by the frame 12 and the onboard electronics canbe carried by the temple 14. Such configurations allow the onboardelectronics to be supplied with power in either the wearableconfiguration and folded configuration. This allows the eyewear 10 to beoperable not only in the wearable configuration but also in the foldedconfiguration such as to run software and perform other tasks.

FIGS. 1A and 1B also illustrate that the hinge joint assembly 16 can beshared between the temple 14 and the frame 12 to couple the temple 14 tothe frame 12. The hinge joint assembly 16 can include a pin connection19 that can comprise a single pin or multiple pins with differentconnection points between the temple 14 and the frame 12. The hingejoint assembly 16 facilitates mechanical movement of the temple 14relative to the frame 12 about the pin connection 19. Such movement canbe between the wearable configuration/position of FIG. 1A and thecollapsed folded configuration/position of FIG. 1B.

According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the conductive couplingmechanism 18 can be incorporated in the articulated hinge joint assembly16 and can be configured to electrically connect the battery with otheronboard electronics across the hinge joint assembly 16. As shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B, the conductive coupling mechanism 18 can include afirst connector 20A positioned on a first face 24A of frame 12 and asecond connector 22A positioned on a second face 26A of the frame 12. Atleast one of the first or second portion 24A and/or 26A can comprise aportion of the hinge joint assembly 16 and/or can be disposed closelyadjacent the hinge joint assembly 16. The conductive coupling mechanism18 can also include a first connector 20B positioned on a first face 24Bor portion of the temple 14 and a second connector 22B positioned on asecond face 26B or portion of the temple 14. At least one of the firstor second portion 24B and/or 26B can comprise a portion of the hingejoint assembly 16 and/or can be disposed closely adjacent the hingejoint assembly 16. First face 24A is configured to interface with firstface 24B when the temple 14 is in the wearable position. Similarly,second face 26A is configured to interface with the second face 26B whenthe temple 14 is in the folded position.

The conductive coupling mechanism 18 can be configured for automaticcontact and electrical coupling in both the wearable position (FIG. 1A)and the folded position (FIG. 1B). More particularly, the connectors 20Aand 20B are designed to interface with and electrically couple with oneanother such that they are complementary in design (e.g., one comprisesa pad and one a pin, etc.). Similarly, the connectors 22A and 22B aredesigned to interface with and electrically couple with one another suchthat they are complimentary in design. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, theconnectors 20A and 22A comprise contact pads, while the connectors 20Band 22B comprise contact pins. However, the arrangement can be reversedor another known connector, for example, a port, a link, a socket, aplug, a cord, a micro-USB, or the like can be utilized.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the temple 14 which can house a battery accordingto one embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B show the temple 14, a portion of thehinge joint assembly 16, and a portion of the conductive couplingmechanism 18 from various views. FIGS. 2A and 2B additionally illustratethat the temple 14 can be configured to house and carry battery 28therein. The battery 28 can be configured to operationally store chargeand a circuit 30 (FIG. 2A) can be coupled to the battery 28 andconfigured to deliver a charge to and from the battery 28. As discussedpreviously 28 the battery 28 can power electronics in the frame 12(FIGS. 1A and 1B) when the temple 14 is in both the wearableconfiguration and the folded configuration.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the features previously discussed including thefirst connector 20B, the second connector 22B, the first face 24B, andthe second face 26B. FIGS. 2A and 2B additionally illustrate aprojection portion 32 of the hinge joint assembly 16. The projectionportion 32 forms the first and second faces 24B and 26B and includes areceptacle 34 (FIG. 2B) configured to receive a mating projection of theframe 12. The projection portion 32 of the temple 14 and the matingprojection 36 (FIG. 3) of frame 12 can be connected together by pinconnection 19 (FIGS. 1A and 1B), for example, which is received in anaperture 38 in the projection portion 32.

FIG. 3 shows a view of a portion of the frame 12, a portion of the hingejoint assembly 16, and a portion of the conductive coupling mechanism 18with the temple removed. The conductive coupling mechanism 18 isdisposed at or closely adjacent the hinge joint assembly 16 thatconnects the temple to the frame 12. FIG. 3 illustrates a portion 40 ofthe frame 12 having the hinge joint assembly 16 and the conductivecoupling mechanism 18 mounted thereto. In particular, the portion 40forms the first face 24A, the second face 26A, and the mating projection38. As shown in FIG. 3, the connectors 20A and 22A can comprise contactpads that are disposed to interface at the first face 24A and the secondface 26A. In particular, the connector 20A is disposed at the first face24A and the connector 22A is disposed at the second face 26A in theembodiment of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the first and secondconnectors 20A and 22A can be comprised of a pair contact pads, eachpair comprising a negative pad and a positive pad that are electricallyisolated from one another.

FIG. 4 shows the temple 14 coupled to the frame 12 and moved to thefolded position relative to the frame 12 such that connectors 22A and22B (FIG. 3) come into contact as previously described with reference toFIG. 1B. This configuration creates an electrical connector that allowselectrical charge from the battery (e.g., battery 28 in FIGS. 2A and 2B)carried by the temple 14 to pass to other electronics carried by theframe 12. Connectors 20A and 20B are exposed in the folded positionallowing for coupling to an external power source as describedsubsequently in reference to FIGS. 5, 5A, 8, and 8A, for example. Asshown in the embodiment of FIG. 4, each of the connectors 20B (and 22Bnot shown) can comprise a pair of connectors (e.g., positive andnegative contact pins) that are configured to make contact withrespective pads on the faces 24A and 26A (FIG. 3) of the frame 12.

FIG. 5 shows the conductive coupling mechanism 18 as well as the temple14 and frame 12 can be configured for coupling with an externalconnector 42, which in turn, is electrically coupled to an externalpower source when the temple 14 is in the collapsed condition. Theexternal power source can comprise a personal computer, an electricaloutlet connected to the power grid, or another battery powered device,for example. The connector 42 can be configured to mount on the temple14 and is configured to interface with and couple to the connectors 20B(FIG. 4) to allow the external power source to charge the battery (i.e.battery 28 in FIGS. 2A and 2B) carried by the temple 14.

FIG. 5A provides an example of the external connector 40 which includesa cord 44, a charging face 46, and pads 48A and 48B. In the exampleembodiment of FIG. 5A, the charging face 46 is recessed to facilitatemounting to an edge of the temple 14 as shown in FIG. 5. The pads 48Aand 48B are configured to be complementary to with the pins (e.g., pinsof FIG. 4) of connector 20B. In other embodiments, the pads 48A and 48Bcan be another connector type designed to be complimentary to theconnector type used by the glasses 10. Cord 44 can be configured with aplug, USB or the like on a second end (not shown) to couple with anexternal power source (or data source) such as a personal computer oroutlet.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematics of glasses 110 that incorporate variousaspects of the eyewear previously discussed but may differ therefrom.For example, the glasses 110 can be configured to electrically couple ina first position (e.g., the wearable position as shown in FIG. 6A) and asecond position (e.g., the folded position as shown in FIG. 6B). Theglasses 110 can be constructed in a manner similar to glasses 10previously discussed, and thus, can include two temples (only one temple114 is illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B) and a frame 112. However, aconductive coupling mechanism 118 and a hinge joint assembly 116 of theglasses 110 can differ from those previously discussed with regard tospecific embodiment of FIGS. 1A-5. According to the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the glasses 110 comprise smart glasseswhich carry electronics 150.

The frame 112 and temple 114 can be provided with complimentaryconnectors 120A, 120B, 122A, 122B configured to electrically andphysically couple with one another as generally illustrated. Theconnectors 120A, 120B, 122A, 122B can be disposed adjacent the hingejoint assembly 116 or can be incorporated into the hinge joint assembly116. In some cases, the connectors 120A, 120B, 122A, 122B can bedisposed at other portions of the frame 112 and temple 114 from thelocations previously discussed with reference to FIGS. 1A-5.

The smart glasses 110 of FIGS. 6A and 6B can include various electronics150. For example, the temple 114 can be configured to carry and/or housea battery 128 and a circuit 130, such as a protection circuit, inaddition to the connectors 120B and 122B. The battery 128 is configuredto operationally store charge. The circuit 130 is coupled to the battery128 (and to the connectors 120B and 122) and is configured to deliverthe charge to and from the battery 130.

The frame 112 can be configured to carry and/or house furtherelectronics 150 such as a computer 152, a memory 154 (e.g., flashstorage), a display 156 (e.g., LCD, LED, and the like), a sensor 158, acamera/microphone 160, a capture device 162 (e.g., a button), and awireless module 164. Although not illustrated, the temple 114 and/orframe 112 can carry further electronics 150 in some instances such asfurther sensors, ancillary batteries, peripheral devices or otherperipherals.

Many if not all of the electronics 150 run software and perform othertasks that require electrical charge from the battery 128. Thus, theability to provide charge from the battery 128 to the electronics 150carried by the frame 112 when the glasses are in the folded position (inaddition to the wearable position) allows software and/or tasks to beperformed even when the glasses are stowed. Therefore, performance ofthe glasses 110 and user experience can be improved as software can runand tasks can be performed even when the glasses are stowed. Accordingto some examples, moving the temple 114 to the folded position can putthe electronics 150 in low power mode of operation where sufficientpower is provided to the electronics 150 such that software and othertasks can be performed by one or more of the electronic devices butexcessive power is not utilized. Thus, battery life can be preservedeven as software and tasks are performed when the glasses are in thefolded position.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B the connectors 120A, 120B and 122A, 122B,respectively are adapted to interface and couple together to formconductive coupling mechanism 118 capable of passing electrical charge.The computer 152 can be of any suitable type (e.g., make use of alow-power circuitry, high-speed circuitry, and/or a display processor)to be carried by the frame 112 and can communicate with the otherelectronics 150. The computer 152 can include one or more processorswith memory, wireless communication modules and circuitry, a powersource, and the like. Additional details of aspects of computer 152 maybe implemented with use of the display 156, the sensor 158, thecamera/microphone 160, the capture device 162 (e.g., a button), and/orother components or peripherals. Further aspects of the computer 152 maybe implemented remotely via wireless, bluetooth, or the like.

Although described as a signal unit the camera/microphone 160 cancomprise separate components or can be only a camera or only amicrophone. The camera/microphone 160 can comprise multiple camerasand/or multiple microphones in some instances. The computer can beconfigured to communicate with and/or control various of the electronics150 such as the display 156, the sensor 158, the capture device 162, thewireless module 164 and/or other peripheral devices. The electronics 150can additionally include a video processor (not shown) such as amicroprocessor integrated circuit (IC) customized for processing sensordata from the camera/microphone 160, along with volatile memory used bythe microprocessor to operate. The memory 154 can comprise any suitablestorage device capable of storing data generated by the electronics 150including the camera/microphone 160. Memory can be integrated withhigh-speed circuitry, can be an independent standalone element, or canbe remote or integrated into the glasses 110.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematics of glasses 210 that incorporate variousaspects of the eyewear previously discussed including glasses 110.Therefore, the construction and components of glasses 210 will not bediscussed in great detail. Similar to glasses 110, the glasses 210include temples (only one temple 214 is illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B)and a frame 212. The temple 214 and frame 212 carry electronics 250 suchas a battery 228, a circuit 230, a computer 252, a memory 254 (e.g.,flash storage), a display 256 (e.g., LCD, LED, and the like), a sensor258, a camera/microphone 260, a capture device 262 (e.g., a button), anda wireless module 264. The electronics 250 can be connected and operatein the manner previously discussed.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a conductive coupling mechanism 218 thatdiffers from the connectors discussed previously. The conductivecoupling mechanism 218 can be incorporated into so as to be part of ahinge joint assembly 216 that mechanically couples the temple 214 to theframe 212. Additionally, the coupling mechanism 218 can comprise aconnector 270A on the frame 212 and a connector 270B on the temple 214.The connector 270A is configured to be electrically coupled to theconnector 270B in various different positions of the temple 214 relativeto the frame 212. These positions include the wearable position of FIG.7A, the folded position of FIG. 7B, and intermediate positionstherebetween. Thus, the glasses 210 provide the ability to supply chargefrom the battery 228 to the electronics 250 carried by the frame 212when the glasses are in various positions including the folded positionas well as the wearable position. This allows software and/or tasks tobe performed by the electronics 250 even when the glasses are stowed.

FIG. 8 illustrates a smart eyewear kit 300 including, for example, apair of smart glasses 310 and a container or holder such as a case 311.As discussed with regard to previous embodiments, the glasses 310 cangenerally include a frame 312, temples 314A and 314B, and electronics(as illustrated and discussed in previous embodiments); the details ofeach will not be discussed in great detail as aspects of these itemshave been previously described. The case 311 and glasses 310 can includeelectrical connectors 320 (FIG. 8) in the example form of a base orinternal connector 322 (FIG. 8A) or port on the case 311 and acorresponding connector (not shown) on the glasses 310.

As illustrated variously in FIGS. 8 and 8A, the glasses 310, the case311 and a cable (e.g., external connector 42 of FIGS. 5 and 5A) caninteract together in various ways and for various purposes. For example,the case 311 can be used to transport and protect the glasses 310, tocharge or provide power to the electronics (including the battery housedin the temple 314A) incorporated in the glasses 310, and/or tocommunicate with the electronics of the glasses 310. Thus, in someembodiments the case 311 can house a supplemental battery to those ofthe glasses 310. Thus, the case 311 can be an external source of powerfor the glasses 310.

The internal connector 322 of the case 311 is configured to couple to acorresponding connector of the glasses 310 (e.g., in a manner previouslydescribed such as in reference to FIGS. 5 and 5A) for power and/or datacommunication when the temples 314A and 314B are in a folded positionand docked in the case 311. As such, the interior of the case 311 can beshaped to receive the glasses 310 only when the temples 314A and 314Bare in the folded position. The shape of the interior also can be suchthat the connector (e.g., connector 20B) of the glasses 310 interfacesdirectly with the internal connector 322 when the glasses are docked inthe case 311 with little slippage or movement occurring between the case311 and the glasses 312. Although illustrated as pogo pin/padconnectors, the connectors can be of virtually any type known in the artfor power and/or data communication such as micro-USB, or the like.

FIG. 8A illustrates the internal connector 322 disposed in the interiorof the case 311. The interior of the case 311 is configured to disposethe connector of the temple 314A (FIG. 8) of the eyewear 312 tointerface with and couple with the internal connector 322. Asillustrated, the internal connector 322 comprises a pad type connectordesign to interface with pogo pins on the temple 314A although othertypes of connectors such as micro-USB are anticipated.

FIG. 9 shows smart glasses 410 according to another example embodiment.As discussed with regard to previous embodiments, the glasses 410 cangenerally include a frame 412, temples 414A and 414B, and electronics(as illustrated and discussed in previous embodiments); the details ofeach will not be discussed in great detail as aspects of these itemshave been previously described.

The glasses 410 of the embodiment of FIG. 9 have electronics 416 thatinclude a first battery 418A and a second battery 418B. The firstbattery 418A is housed in and carried by the first temple 414A and thesecond battery 418B is housed in and carried by the second temple 414B.Similar to previously discussed embodiments, the glasses 410 can includea conductive coupling mechanism (e.g., an interface or port)incorporated into the joint between each temple 414A and 414B and theframe 412 that allows power from the batteries 418A and 418B to beprovided to the onboard electronics in the frame 412 when the temples414A and 414B are in a wearable configuration (i.e. the position oftemple 414B) and when the eyewear article is in a folded or collapsedconfiguration (i.e., the position of temple 414A). Power can be drawnfrom each battery 418A and 418B in substantially equal amounts (e.g., inparallel) and at substantially the same time in some embodiments. Inother embodiments, the second battery 418B can be used as a reservebattery and can provide power to the electronics when power provided bythe first battery 418A becomes lower than desired. In yet furtherembodiments, the first battery 418A can provide power to the electronicswhen in the wearable configuration and the second battery 418B canprovide power to the electronics in the folded or collapsedconfiguration.

[Examples to be added here upon approval of claims]

Language

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodimentsof the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individuallyor collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience andwithout intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application toany single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is, in fact,disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided forresources, operations, or structures described herein as a singleinstance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources,operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presentedas separate resources in the example configurations may be implementedas a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures andfunctionality presented as a single resource may be implemented asseparate resources. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of thepresent disclosure as represented by the appended claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable device comprising: a frame configuredto hold one or more optical elements; a temple; an articulated jointconnecting the temple to the frame such that the temple is disposablebetween a collapsed condition and a wearable condition in which thewearable device is wearable by a user to hold the one or more opticalelements within user view; one or more onboard electronics componentscomprising at least a pair of electronics components carried by theframe and the temple, respectively; and a coupling mechanism adjacentthe articulated joint, the coupling mechanism is configured toelectrically connect the pair of electronics components across thearticulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition andwhen the temple is in the collapsed condition.
 2. The wearable device ofclaim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism includes an electrical connectoradjacent the articulated joint and positioned to be covered by thetemple so as to be inaccessible to facilitate charging with the templein the wearable condition, the electrical connector exposed tofacilitate charging of the one or more onboard electronics componentswith the temple is positioned in the collapsed condition.
 3. Thewearable device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism includes afirst electrical connector and a second electrical connector spaced fromthe first electrical connector across the articulated joint, wherein viathe second electrical connector the one or more onboard electronicscomponents are operable and supplied with power when the temple ispositioned in the collapsed condition.
 4. The wearable device of claim3, further comprising a charging device configured to couple to at leastone of the first electrical connector or the second electrical connectorwhen the temple is position in the collapsed condition.
 5. The wearabledevice of claim 1, wherein via the coupling mechanism the one or moreonboard electronics components are operable and supplied with power whenthe temple is positioned in the collapsed condition.
 6. The wearabledevice of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism includes a firstelectrical connector and a second electrical connector, wherein at leastthe second electrical connector is between the temple and the frame,wherein the second electrical connector is configured to create a secondelectrical connection between the temple and the frame when the templeis positioned in the wearable condition.
 7. The wearable device of claim6, wherein via the second electrical connector the one or more onboardelectronics components are operable and supplied with power from abattery in the temple.
 8. The wearable device of claim 1, furthercomprising a case configured to receive the wearable device therein withthe temple positioned in the collapsed condition, the case configured totransfer power from the case to the one or more onboard electronicscomponents.
 9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or moreonboard electronics components comprise a battery and the couplingmechanism facilitates power transfer between the battery and another ofthe one or more onboard electronics components carried by the wearabledevice.
 10. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the couplingmechanism includes at least two electrical ports on the temple and atleast two electrical ports on the frame.
 11. A method of operating awearable device, comprising: providing a frame and a temple connected tothe frame, wherein at least the frame is configured to carry one or moreonboard electronics components and optical elements for a user;articulating the temple relative to the frame from a wearable conditionin which the wearable device is wearable by the user to a collapsedcondition; and supplying power to the one or more onboard electronicscomponents via an electrical connector, wherein the electrical connectoris exposed with the temple in both the wearable condition and thecollapsed condition.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein a first portionof the electrical connector is covered by the temple in the wearablecondition and a second portion of the electrical connector is covered bythe temple in the collapsed condition.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein the electrical connector includes a first electrical connectorand a second electrical connector spaced from the electrical connectoracross an articulated joint, wherein via the second electrical connectorthe one or more onboard electronics components are operable and suppliedwith power when the temple is in the collapsed condition.
 14. The methodof claim 11, further comprising operating the one or more onboardelectronics components when the temple is positioned in the collapsedcondition and the wearable condition.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein supplying power to the one or more onboard electronicscomponents comprises seating the wearable device within a case with thetemple in the collapsed condition.
 16. The method of claim 11, whereinthe electrical connector includes at least two ports on a first part ofthe temple and at least two ports on a second part of the temple. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the electrical connector includes atleast to pads on the frame on a first part of the frame and at least twoports on a second part of the frame.
 18. A method of operating awearable device, comprising: providing a frame and a temple connected tothe frame, wherein at least the frame is configured to carry one or moreonboard electronics components and optical elements for a user;articulating the temple relative to the frame from a wearable conditionin which the wearable device is wearable by the user to a collapsedcondition; and disconnecting a power supply to the one or more onboardelectronics components only when the temple is articulated between thewearable condition and the collapsed condition.
 19. The method of claim18, further comprising supplying power to the one or more onboardelectronics components via an electrical connector, wherein theelectrical connector is exposed with the temple in both the wearablecondition and the collapsed condition.